Broken
by Shinimegami 2.0
Summary: THIS STORY IS ON HIATUS UNTIL I CAN FINISH DANCING IN THE DUSK AND POST MY OURAN STORY! I'M SORRY BUT IT MUST BE DONE!
1. Mission 1 Dreams

Athena- THIS IS A NEW STORY! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT: THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

SS- :blinks slowly: I know I'm insane, but do you know you're all freaks?

Kali- Shini, darling, take off the Freakazoid glasses.

SS- But when I wear them, I think that I own GW and Anita Blake

Athena- :rips off the glasses: We don't own Anita Blake or GW. But because of all the hotties in there? We wish we did.

Rating: R

Please enjoy our feature presentation of **Broken**. Once the story has ended, we ask that you please review and make the authoress's day. Thank you.

MISSION SPECS 01: PAST IN HIS FUTURE

**DREAM SEQUENCE**

_Duo vaguely heard Anita grunt something about coffee. He only held out his mug for her to grab. It was black, and read "You think I'm mean? I call it socially challenged," in drippy, blood red letters. His boss, Burt, hated when he brought that cup out during working hours. He said it frightened the clients._

_Of course, Burt also said that he and Anita frightened more clients when she wore black, and Duo went completely goth, but there was no way in hell that Shinigami would be kept out of his favorite style._

_Duo sat down heavily in his chair, slamming his head on the surface of his desk when he leaned forward with too much force. It really hurt, since he was a were-leopard, and he was feeling way too tired to actually move his head off._

_That changed, of course, as soon as Anita plonked the coffee next to him, then slid around to hug him from behind. The scent of the beverage, strong and black, exactly how he and Anita liked it, unless they were in shock, wafted to his nostrils._

_Greedily, he sipped his drinking, sighing with delight as it warmed a path into his belly. Coffee made him feel more— _normal_, he supposed, since he really couldn't be called human. _

_The thought made Duo smirk. 'Normal' was a word that had never applied to him, a street rat, a terrorist, a were-leopard, and a necromancer. No, the term 'freak' suited him better._

"_Like mother, like son," Anita joked. He cracked a smile, knowing that was the only thing she wanted from him. It was a nice kind of knowledge._

_The intercom crackled to life. "Ms. Blake," Mary's voice was abnormally husky as she called, "there are two gentlemen here without an appointment. They're asking if you would please indulge them with a conference."_

_Anita and Duo shared a Look. Most people who came in talking like that were usually asking for trouble, and looking to kill someone (mainly Anita). "Shall I send them in?" _

"_Go ahead," Anita replied. She leaned back against Duo's side of the desk, eyeing the teen she adopted two years ago speculatively._

"_If one of them is hot, you will ask him out." Duo recognized this as an order, not a question, and smiled brightly at her._

"_And if neither of them is, then you get to ask them both out, and I'll go play with Nathaniel, Asher, Micah..."_

"_Ass."_

_They continued with their friendly bickering until the doorknob turned, and the door creaked open. Duo stared, amethyst eyes wide, at the pair who entered, his professional demeanor lost as horror overcame him. Anita chose to glare threateningly at them, knowing exactly who they were without having ever seen them._

_Both men were tall, well over the six-foot mark, with the bodies of gods, and both were noticeably of Asian ancestry. That, however, was where the similarities ended. _

_The one on the left was Chinese, with tan skin sliding over iron firm muscles. Sloe-black eyes regarded him cooly, as he folded his arms over his chest. Both his pants and his long-sleeved shirt were white, contrasting with the shoulder length black hair that was pulled into a tight ponytail at the base of his skull. Oh-five didn't recognize Duo at all. That was okay._

_Unfortunately, he didn't have the same luck with oh-one. Prussian blue eyes stared in shock from beneath messy chocolate hair. Oh-one had exchanged the spandex and green muscle shirt for black dress pants and a navy blue button down shirt._

_Anita saw what Duo saw: two out of four bastards. Wufei Chang moved to speak, but Heero beat him to it._

"_Duo..."_

END DREAM SEQUENCE

Duo sat bolt upright in bed as he gasped for air. The telephone next to him rang insistently. He picked it up, already knowing who it was.

"Hello?" He paused to listen to the irate voice on the other end. "I'm fine, it was just a dream...No I'm not sure...how should I know?...No, thanks though...I've got to work in the morning...Yeah...Yes, Maryanne, I will...Bye to you too."

Duo flopped back onto the bed as the door opened. Nathaniel, Cherry, Zane, Anita, Vivien, Micah, and Merle slipped through. In a house full of leopards, it's hard not to be heard when you're having a nightmare, and in Anita's house, that happened frequently.

He groped at his bedside table for a hair tie, found one, and drew his heel-length hair in to a high ponytail at the crown of his head, much like Nathaniel had done. The two smiled at each other as Nathaniel wound his long arms around Duo's waist, and the other members of their insane little family climbed into bed.

Duo hugged him back, noticing that everyone who had shown up (including himself) was naked. No, they weren't about to have an orgy. It was just more comfortable than bothering to wear anything at all.

He and Nathaniel lay awake, gazing at each other warmly as the others dropped off to sleep. Anita was cuddling Nathaniel, and Micah was spooning him, and the rest had taken up various positions on them, or at their feet. Once Anita fell asleep, Nathaniel began talking softly.

"Duo-kitty, are you gonna be okay?" Duo-kitty had been one of the nicknames given to him since they'd met each other.

"No...as long as I remember them, they'll continue to haunt me, and I'll never be okay." Nathaniel nodded, as if it made all the sense in the world.

"At least you're out of denial, " he quipped. They both snickered as Duo poked him in the ribs. They quieted down, then, still smiling, kissed each other.

It was nothing big, just a mere press of their lips against each other. A little goodnight kiss to help chase away the nightmares.

As the two men were lulled to sleep by the sound of their pard's breathing, Duo allowed himself a final thought.

_I'm safe here._

_They can't hurt me. Not while the Executioner is my Nimir-Ra and my mother._

MISSION SPECS 01 STATUS: COMPLETE

Shinigami's Sister/Notes- Crikey! I've got an angsty GW fic started!

Kali- :nuzzles SS: To all our wonderful friends, have you any idea why we're so sorry that we haven't updated in...

Athena- Two months!

SS- I JUST MOVED TO SAN DI-FRIGGIN'-EGO CALIFORNIA! YEAH BABY!

Athena- She's a bit high on life right now...

Kali- And so am I!

SS- I promise that I will update everything ASAP y'all!

Much love and power to ya!

Please review.

_Shinigami's Sister_


	2. Mission 2 Memories 1

SS- Can y'all believe that I've got another chapter ready for you? Oo

Kali- We know, it's shocking. SS is usually the queen procrastinator.

Athena- Are you sure that we haven't approached the apocalypse?

SS- :Glances out her window at the burning meteorites, evil spirits, and the chaos of the bubbling sea: No. If it were the apocalypse, I would own Anita Blake and Gundam Wing.

Kali- But she doesn't, so it isn't.

SS- . Right. Here's the other info...

RATING: M

SUMMARY: The other pilots have abused and degraded Duo...He now plots his escape.

TITLE: **Broken**

SS- Brief note: this chapter, and the next two chapters take place five years ago, when Duo was 18. Sooo...Here ya go!

MISSION SPECS 02: MEMORIES 01

The current safehouse was silent, save for the heart-wrenching sobs of the one pilot who had truly lost his faith in everything. For a third time in his life, Shinigami had been abandoned; oh-three and oh-four had joined oh-one and oh-five in their quest to completely eradicate him. He lay on the floor, seemingly motionless except for the erratically violent shudders that racked his body between sobs.

After a while, Duo stood with aching, painful caution. His normally ethereal white skin was mottled with discoloration, and riddled with open gashes, some festering with pus. Yellow, gray, blue, plum, and crimson. None of these were self-inflicted; Duo would never do that to himself. The other pilots, those he had once considered friends—

_(Dirty lying filthy trash! Not Friends Never Friends!)_

—had found him unnecessary, a joke, a toy. They were bad little boys, bad boys who destroyed everything they touched.

And Shinigami save him, they tried, but they Had Not Broken him!

"_You're just another dirty whore, just like those sick fucks at OZ. You probably like that, don't you, you disgusting freak?"_

He had hated every moment of it. He hated how oh-five had pulled his hair back so that oh-one could shove his disgustingly perfect cock down his throat. He hated how his wrists had oh-one's finger indentations from when they had held him down so that oh-five could rip into him without preparation. He hated how they could call him a whore when they were the ones raping him each night for three weeks.

Most especially, he hated being called a whore. He'd been a virgin, because Solo had said that even when money's tight, you never whore yourself out. Who knew what kind of weird diseases the loonies on L2 had.

Solo also said not to let the soldiers catch you. They'd hurt you real bad, do whatever they want with you, then kill you.

Solo had been right, Duo thought dismally, and I was too dumb—

_(Not dumb Not Dumb NOT DUMB! TRICKED YOU LIED TO YOU BETRAYED YOU. NOT DUMB. NEVER DUMB.)_

—to notice. Shinigami, how could I have ever liked them?

How could I have wanted them to be mine?

"_Have you been stealing from us this entire time? Gods, I can't believe you!"_

Duo had thought of these people as his friends; you never, ever, steal from your friends. It would be like signing a death contract.

He had found oh-four's necklace in the bathroom. One of his sisters (Iria?) had given it to him, and Duo knew that oh-four loved it. The clasp was broken; Duo repaired it and tried to give it back to oh-four, but oh-five had lied to oh-four, and he chose to believe oh-five over Duo. From that day on, Duo knew that he would never be able to trust oh-three or oh-four again.

"_It's no small wonder why we all hate you. You are a worthless piece of scum, and a liar."_

Duo. Never. Lied. He knew that liars had to exist, but he couldn't see the purpose in lying. It just seemed stupid, and if he was going to do something, he told everybody about it. It hurt him immensely that they would even dream to call him a liar, and it proved that they didn't know/care about him at all.

He walked to the room that belonged to him alone in a trance. He knew that he had to get out of here, had known for a long time that the—

_(Monsters face-thieves traitors bitches)_

—other pilots would end up killing him if he stayed here any longer. He'd planned his escape perfectly, and it tied in with his revenge.

He stripped himself of the blood-soaked clothes that hid his skinny frame. He winced with each movement of his ribs as he dressed. There had to be at least two that were cracked. He groaned gutturally as he retrieved a black knapsack from under his pillow, and realized that his cell phone was ringing. Opening the device, he pressed it to his ear and heard a distinct female voice that he would recognize anywhere on the other end. It was the Vice Minister, his sister.

Relena.

"You're going to leave today, aren't you?" Her voice was soft, and poignant in its sorrow and rage. Duo sighed as a response.

"I have to, Relena. I'll end up dead out here." He heard Relena let out a sob, and reassuringly said, "You'll know where I am. You're my sister, I have to check up on you."

It had been a sheer fluke as to how they found out they were related. Duo had suffered extensive damage and needed a blood transfusion. Relena had been the only one to have the same blood type, and had volunteered to give it. Thinking on a hunch, she asked for a full genetic comparison between herself and Duo.

It had turned out that they shared identical mitochondria; they shared the same mother. Duo had been ecstatic to find out that he could have a real family.

"Relena, I need you to do two things for me."

"Name it."

"First of all, the others will be back in two hours. I need to be out of here in twenty minutes."

"That soon?" she exclaimed.

"Yes. Now listen carefully: Deathscythe will be captured in two days time. Right after you receive the news, I want you to say this phrase, exactly: May God keep you. Understand? Just after you say this, you will get a call from them, telling you that they are going in to "save me".

"Now here's the interesting part. The phrase is a code. There is a series of hydrogen bombs that I've built into Deathscythe, and your voice, tied with that phrase will detonate them, taking out a portion of whatever base my gundam is at as well. I promise you, Relena, I won't be anywhere near it.

"Now as far as the second thing goes, I want you to tell them everything."

"Everything?" Relena exclaimed in a breathy voice. Duo thought it over, then amended his statement.

"Well, everything but my special secret that you don't even know about."

"What special secret that I don't even know about?"

"Exactly," joked Duo. He could almost feel Relena's smile on the other end. Sighing with resignation, he told Relena that he loved her.

"I love you too, Duo. I want you to promise to call me from an untraceable number as soon as you settle down, alright?"

"Alright. Bye, sister." he agreed softly. With that, he hung up the phone and gathered his stuff.

Striding through the house with his head held high, he cast a quick glance around. With much deliberation, he bent his head and spat on the floor. He walked outside without another thought.

The sun hit Duo fully, making him sneer at the harsh light. The air seemed to fresh to him, too unnaturally clean. He briefly entertained the idea that this was just a simulation, that this entire thing was a dream, and that at any moment, the others would turn it off and they'd all be cool.

He shot that idea down with a .45 Cobalt.

Plus, that howl he just heard did not fit in with the normal desert scenario, and it was real.

So it was a great mystery to him as to how a wolf cub had managed to find its' way into his 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

MISSION SPECS 02 STATUS: COMPLETE

SS/N- 0.o...To every Relena basher out there, normally I sympathize with you. I mean, come on, what's not to hate. However, if there are those out there who really want to flame me over it...

Kali- We'll just use them for s'mores. Or maybe to burn something down.

Athena- We're not quite sure yet.

SS- Anyhow, I now realize that while I mentioned the characters of Anita Blake, I never really told you about them.

Athena- So for you, the readers and hopefully REVIEWERS, we bring to you...

Kali-** Cast of Characters for Broken**!

Duo- Our main character. He's 23, and his hair reaches his heels. He's been a natural necromancer since birth, and a were-leopard since he was 20. He is Anita's adopted son. As a leopard, he has brown eyes, white fur with brown spots. As a necromancer, his animal to call(1) is the wolf.

Anita 'The Executioner' Blake- The star lady of the Anita Blake series. She is 35, with curly black hair that reaches the tops of her thighs (her Mexican mother), extremely pale skin (German father), and brown eyes. She is the human servant in Jean-Claude's triumvirate, and the Master Necromancer in her own triumvirate. Her animal to call is the leopard, and she is the Nimir-Ra(2) of the Blooddrinkers Clan(3). She is a vampire executioner with more kills on her list than anyone else.

Jean-Claude– Master of the City of St. Louis, and _sourde du sang(4)_ of his line. He is 614, with cerulean eyes, and black hair that reaches his knees. His animal to call is the wolf, and he shares his curse, the _ardeur(5)_, with Anita. He is the Master Vampire in his triumvirate.

Richard- A were-wolf, and a middle school science teacher. He's 42, with honey brown eyes, and brown hair that is just below his ears. As a wolf, he has ginger fur. He is the third in Jean-Claude's triumvirate, and his animal to call. He is the Ulfric(6) of the Thronnos Rokke Clan(7).

Damien- the vampire servant in Anita's triumvirate. Turned in the Viking era, he is 1000, with red hair and green eyes. He works at Danse Macabre(8)

Nathaniel- Anita's animal to call, the third in her triumvirate, and the ultimate sub(9). He is 25, with auburn hair that reaches his heels, and lavender eyes. He is a stripper at Guilty Pleasures(10). He is Anita's _pomme du sang_(11).

Micah- Nimir-Raj(12) of the Maneaters Clan(13), and Anita's mate. He has grey-green eyes, and brown hair that touches his shoulderblades.

Cherry- A leopard in Anita's pard(14).

Zane- A leopard in Anita's pard. He would like to date Cherry.

Stephen- A wolf in Richard's pack. He's dating Vivien, and is Gregory's twin brother. He is a stripper at Guilty Pleasures.

Vivien- A leopard in Anita's pard. She's dating Stephen.

Gregory- A leopard in Anita's pard, and Stephen's twin brother. He is a stripper at Guilty Pleasures.

Jason- A wolf in Richard's pack, and Jean-Claude's _pomme du sang_. He is a stripper at Guilty Pleasures.

Lieutenant Randolph 'Dolph' Storr- The lead investigator on RPIT(15). He's had some problems since his son has decided to become a vampire, problems that could get him fired.

Sergeant Zerbrowski- Anita's friend on the RPIT squad. He's much more accepting than Dolph is when it comes to the preternatural.

SS- :wipes her brow: There are more, actually, but with the exception of Asher, they don't show up as much. These characters will show up regularly.

Athena- There'll be a definitions list in the next chapter, but if you'd rather find out sooner, buy some of the books by Laurel K. Hamilton.

SS- Thanks to **Tatsu Satsuki** for the encouraging first review! o

Kali- And because we liked it so much, we're gonna give you this special Duo-chan plushy. :Holds a happy Duo out to Tatsu:

All- ONEGAI, READ AND REVIEW! Bai-bai-buu!

_Shinigami's Sister_


	3. Mission 3 Memories 2

SS- Yay! These reviews have made me happy!

Kali- Kudos to you all!

Athena- And a special cookie for everyone. It's baked with love to you from...

Duo- Me!

SS- Yes, that's right, our main character likes you enough to make chocolate chocolate chip cookies for you. And he's agreed to do the disclaimer for us!

Duo- Shinigami's Sister does not own Gundam Wing or Anita Blake to her despair, but is willing to adopt me, to my delight!

Athena- Information, and enjoy the story!

Title- **Broken**

Rating- M

Summary- Out in the open, and things get weird for Duo.

MISSION SPECS 03: MEMORIES 02

Richard awoke slowly, muzzily. Why the hell was it so hot? November in Missouri wasn't supposed to be this hot...it was November, right? He hadn't been in a mysterious coma for four months, had he? Wait, that crap was for soap operas. True, being a werewolf, his life did get a little crazy sometimes, but never soap opera crazy.

Stretching out as far as he possibly could, he realized two things: A) he was in full wolf form, and B) he was small? Shooting up, he saw he was in a car, a really nice car, even though it was all in shades of grey, and from the looks of the surrounding desert, he was definitely not in Missouri. Richard loosed a whining howl of despair. His life had officially become soap opera crazy, and he knew the reason why.

He had been stupid enough to piss off Anita Blake. Now, he was probably dead and in Hell.

Or something close to it.

Duo wondered briefly why a friggin' wolf cub was in his car then decided that it didn't matter because he only had three minutes to get away from this cursed place. At the same time he was amazed that his—

_(NOT FRIENDS NOT COPILOTS NO NO NO NO NO! NO TRUST NO PEACE NO REST RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN!)_

—tormenters had never found his little secret. This car was his baby; it had been a present from Hilde, and he had souped it up himself, and hid it in the most astounding place: the garage.

Duo shook himself out of his little trip down Elm Street and jumped behind the wheel. Gunning the engine and throwing it into reverse, he smiled bitterly at the wonderful sound of freedom as he drove off, leaving only dust in his wake. This little kitty didn't just purr, she roared. Shinimegami (because if there was a Goddess of Death, she would certainly be with Duo's baby) could reach a maximum speed of 250 miles per hour, and Duo was making that speed his new best friend.

Within those three minutes, he could no longer see the safehouse.

In an additional two hours, he could possibly call himself safe—

_(Not safe will never be safe until they are gone and dead gone and dead gone gone gone dead dead dead in memory in body in heart in soul)_

—once he was on that flight to Missouri. There, he could learn, be accepted, be protected.

Which brought Duos' thoughts to the wolf cub beside him.

"How the hell does a wolf end up in Pakistan?" he mused aloud.

_I'M IN FUCKING PAKISTAN?_ Yep. It was official. Richard had been sent to Hell.

What had he done wrong? What was the last thing Anita had said to him?

"_Fuck it Richard! You don't have to follow me around like some sorry little cub! Why don't you go do something constructive, and help someone who really needs it right now!"_

Well, hell. She had told him to find someone who needs help, and what happens? He ends up in some kid's car in Pakistan, going at faster, more dangerous speeds than he ever had when Anita was near a car.

Although, Richard had to admit that the wind felt quite nice ruffling through his fur. He looked to the driver, hoping to gain some acknowledgment, and barked once. This kid reminded him of someone, but who it was escaped him at the moment.

God, what he wouldn't give to see in color right now.

Duo looked over at the little guy beside him. He was cute, in a doggy sort of way. Duo personally preferred the big cat family, lions, and tigers, and leopards, oh my! Or something to that effect.

But this fellow was cute, with big amber eyes and warm, honey-gold fur. And Duo could see his intelligence, even if he was only a few months old. But something was off about that intelligence, something strangely human...

Duo shrugged it off, and started humming something. After an hour of that, he slowed Shinimegami to 150 miles. As he always did when the silence got to be too much for him to handle, Duo started talking aloud.

"You're pretty lucky little guy. Traveling with me is going to be something unforgettable, y'know? Going as fast as we want, at least until we hit the border between India and Pakistan. Then we'll have to follow the back roads, if we want to get to the airport in Bombay within four hours."

If Richard had been in his human form he would have blanched at the thought. From the border to Bombay in _four_ hours! Bombay was at least a thousand miles from the border. This kid must be either really insane, or extremely desperate.

"_...help someone who really needs it right now!"_

Richard wondered whether Anita was becoming a psychic, or if he was just getting dumber. This kid must be in some form of trouble if he was running that fast from...whatever it was that was terrifying him.

And in an odd puff of smoke Richard regained his normal form.

Duo knew that there would be trouble when he heard the 'poof'. Anything that went poof caused trouble, it was one of nature's unwritten rules for Shinigami's sake! He looked over, despite his better judgement, and found that Santa Claus had taken the wolf and left him a very attractive man.

A very attractive man with an excellent chest. Not that Duo had noticed that he was only wearing a pair of loose, low-riding jeans. No, not at all. His mouth wasn't slightly agape at the perfect tan, or the wavy brown hair that touched broad shoulders. Nope. Wasn't paying any attention to those perfect lips that curved upwards, or that little dimple. Hadn't noticed the otherworldly power that the man oozed, or the uncanny sex appeal.

Not one little bit.

"Could you please watch the road? I'd rather not die in a car accident, it would be kind of embarrassing." Duo immediately obeyed. Whatever this guy was, he was an alpha, and Shinigami, didn't that rich baritone just _drip_ with sensuality? "Thank you..."

"Duo. The name's Duo."

"Really?"

"Really truly, nameless man who was just now a wolf puppy in my car."

Richard blushed. For Christ's sake, how was this kid able to make him blush? "Well Duo, I'm Richard, Richard Zeeman."

"Okay then. Three questions: A) How the fuck did you get in my car?; B) Why the hell were you a puppy?; C) Are you a lycanthrope?"

"I think I was sent here, I might have been cursed, and yes, but how did you know?"

Duo shrugged.

"You felt like an alpha something."

"Well, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You've been scared of something ever since you took off from where ever we were."

Duo stayed silent, stayed—

_(SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE. Tell him trust him he can protect he will protect he is Alpha. Alpha is kind is fair is just. He knows)_

—motionless. At last he said quietly, "Later."

MISSION SPECS 03 STATUS: COMPLETE

SS- :stretches and yawns: Goddess!

Kali and Athena- :Lurch voice: You rang?

SS- Erm...whatever. I'm so tired, and I completely apologize for not updating sooner. I'm getting kinda depressed that I'm not seeing my best friends on a daily basis.

Athena- BUT she did promise you a definitions list...

Kali- Athena, look...:points at the authoress:

Athena- What:looks at SS and finds her sleeping and cuddling Duo: Oh. I guess we'll do it then.

1)** Animal to call**- an animal, and the respective lycanthrope(B1), that answers to a Master Vampire or necromancer(B2). Such animals range from butterflies to bears.

2) **Nimir-Ra**- leopard queen

3) **Blooddrinkers Clan**- Anita's pard. Anita is the only human to ever hold the title of alpha amidst the lycanthropes.

4) **Sourde du Sang**- fountainhead of blood. Term applies to a Master Vampire who 'makes the blood flow' in lesser vampires of a line. Jean-Claude was originally a vampire of Belle Morte's line, then grew powerful enough to be the head of his own line. Outside of Jean-Claude, this has never happened. All vampires can trace their lineage to the Council(B3) and the Sweet Mother(B4).

5) **Ardeur**- a gift or curse that Anita and Jean-Claude share. It basically makes them nymphomaniacs. (Kali- They need sex all the time!)

6) **Ulfric**- wolf king

7) **Thronnos Rokke Clan**- Richard's pack. Before she gained the leopards, Anita was called the human lupa, or wolf queen.

8) **Danse Macabre**- translates to Dance of Death. A dance club owned by Jean-Claude.

9) **Ultimate Sub**- a submissive that has no limit. Normal subs often have a safe-word for when they are uncomfortable and want to stop. An ultimate sub has no stopping point/ is willing to do whatever the dominant wants, even if it kills the sub.

10) **Guilty Pleasures**- a male strip club owned by Jean-Claude.

11) **Pomme du Sang**- apple of blood. Term applies to a person who is willing to feed a vampire or the _ardeur_ at any time, and is respected and rewarded for their loyalty.

12) **Nimir-Raj**- leopard king

13) **Maneaters Clan**- Micah's pard. When they came to St. Louis, they merged with Anita's pard.

14) **Pard**- a group of were-leopards.

15) **RPIT**- Regional Preternatural Investigation Team. The SVU of the vampires, witches, lycanthropes, etc. Anita was their civilian expert, but was then given the status of federal marshal.

Bonus words!

1) **Lycanthrope**- a person who changes into an animal during the full moon because of the lycanthropy disease. Alphas have the ability to change at will. Lycanthropy can be passed through blood, birth, or sex, however, very few lycanthropes can carry a child to full term.

2) **Necromancer**- a person whose magic controls all aspects of the dead, including vampires. For this very reason, vampires used to kill all known necromancers.

3) **The Council**- the basic government for the vampires. All vampires can trace their lineage to either Belle Morte, Morte d'Amour, the Master of Beasts, the Earthmover, or the Whisperer. Anita killed the Earthmover in _Circus of the Damned_.

4) **The Sweet Mother**- the first of all vampires. Called Mommy Dearest by Anita. Though a vampire, both she and her guards have the properties of lycanthropes.

Kali- :pants: That was long...too long.

Athena- We know that some of you didn't understand parts of the stuff we were writing, so we put together this handy little definitions list for you!

Duo- :cradling SS: Now, if you ever forget what something means, you can come back here to look for it! XP!

**REVIEW RESPONSES**

Tatsu Satsuki- Very glad you enjoyed, and we hope you have fun with Duo-kun.

leemax- Thank you, and the bitch scene will be after the next chapter. It takes place one year after that chapter. We shall enjoy it as well!

yaeko- Thank you!

Mare- Thank you! I hope I explained it enough for you.

darkdranzer- Thank you!

Heero- I'm...the bad guy? But I'm the Perfect Soldier!

Trowa- Duo's...related to Relena? Duo hates Relena!

Quatre- I'm a jerk:gives the crowd big tear-filled eyes: But I have the space heart!

Kali- Yes, but you've always been a jerk to Duo. Yes, and Relena's nice in this story, so no he doesn't. Yes, but your wonderful little space heart is defective for awhile.

Athena- Besides, Heero, the summary says eventual 1x2x5. Cheer up, ya cold bastard!

Duo- :backs away from everyone: Ummm...please read and review. All flames will be used to either burn down high schools or to make s'mores. Or both.

Kali and Athena- Bai-bai-buu!

This chapter is dedicated to my Grandmother, Marietta Rachel Bell Nichols, March 1918- October 2005.

I love you, Grams.

_Shinigami's Sister_


	4. Memories 3 and Bonus Merciless

Review Responses

yaeko- Heero and the others were, in general, evil and malicious bastards. No one stole anything, but they accused Duo of stealing from them.

Elliott's girl- I like the middle east. I was actually trying to work it so I had a spot west of Bombay, and Pakistan worked. ; Sorry if I scared you.

Tatsu Satsuki- I understand what you mean, but we're pretending that Richard is stupid and slightly unobservant. Thanks for pointing it out. And here's how the thing works with alphas: they are strong, stable people, mentally and physically. Unlike a dominant, these are leaders who would do anything to help his or her pack, and those related to the pack. Duo knows this, which is why he trusts Richard.

DuoHarryVegeta- Yes. Yes it is.

silentblade2- Thank you! Here's the next chapter!

SS- Someone do the disclaimer! Now!

Richard- SS owns neither Gundam Wing, nor Anita Blake, nor herself. They belong to Bandai, LKH, and someone called Gaara, respectively.

Title- **Broken**

Rating- M

Summary- Duo and Richard talk about things they have in common. Sort of. Heero gets destroyed by his guilt.

MISSION SPECS 04: MEMORIES 03

By the time dusk hit, the pair was halfway between Surat and Bombay, and Duo had discovered that Richard did not have a bladder. Honestly, they had made three (unfortunately necessary, but useful for trying to get rid of meddling alphas) rest stops, but the man hadn't needed anything, aside from the burger and the forty-four ounce cola! Duo was convinced that the older male was peeing next to the car when they had stopped for gas. By the time they reached Surat, Duo had realized something: the man was like a dog with a bone, he wouldn't let the subject of Duo's fear go.

It was starting to get really annoying, but it also brought up more of Duo's fears. Could Richard smell the disgusting taint of infection on him? He had tried cleaning everything to the best of his abilities, had tried covering his scent, because who knew what crazy things Dr. J had decided to do to 01 for the sake of—

gag— perfection.

But was it enough? Richard hadn't said anything so far...was it possible that he truly didn't know? Could Duo really begin to hope that he would get away with his escape without interference?

Would he truly be free? The answer, he realized, was—

_(No)_

—all dependant on the assistance of one woman, whom he had never seen before in his life. She was his idol, and would hopefully be his savior. She was the one woman who had more kills in her books than he did.

The Executioner.

Anita Blake, Richard thought with no small degree of amusement, was one hell of a bitch. That was one of the reasons why he loved her. But she was so damned moody! After all, he was the one trying to keep her safe when the stupid vampire almost tore off her arm. As a reward? He gets sent on a freakishly weird trip to Pakistan. PMSing? Maybe just a touch.

He wondered what she was doing now, and could've slapped himself because of his stupidity. He could reach her through their link! That is, if she didn't have her mental barriers up.

Or he could just ask Duo if he had a cell phone. You know, whichever was easiest.

"Do you have a cell phone?" he heard himself asking absently. He could have smacked himself for his randomness, but opted to shrug instead. That decided that!

Duo looked at the other man out of the corner of his eye. "...Bag in the glove compartment," he said reluctantly. "Number's untraceable, and it probably won't work out here."

"Why not?" Duo looked at Richard with increasing incredulity.

"Tell me, Richard," Duo paused to gesture out of the window, "have you seen a cell tower in the last hundred miles?"

"No, but what does that— oh." The man had the grace to look sheepish at least. Duo chose to shake his head and press the button that operated the CD-player. He smiled as he heard Marilyn Manson's cover of "Personal Jesus" announce his favorite mix. Linkin Park, Seether, Velvet Revolver, and Evanescence were also on here, among others. They were all loud songs, songs that made him want to go out and hurt someone, to go out and demolish things. They were his work-out songs, the songs that got his blood pumping. They were the songs where he was strong enough, in his mind, to make the traitors bled like he'd bled, hurt the way he was hurt, cry the way he had never allow himself to cry.

Richard would deny it if he was told that he had jumped when the CD started. He wondered if it came as a surprise to him that Duo liked rock songs. He thought that it would be more surprising to Duo if he learned that Richard enjoyed showtunes, long walks on the beach, and tea instead of coffee.

But that was not the point. The point was that he was stuck in India without a working cell phone, and he had no idea what time it was in St. Louis. Not that Anita wasn't used to late-night calls, but there was the off chance that it was daytime, and no one was around Anita's place in the daytime. The house had developed a strange habit of betting attacked in the daytime, if inanimate objects could develop habits.

"You know, mumbling under your breath about personification is a sure sign that you belong in a room with a straightjacket," Duo's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Next thing you know, you'll be talking about the walking dead."

"Only if Anita and Jean-Claude aren't talking about me."

!Scene Break!

Anita sneezed. "Someone is talking about me," she muttered, glaring around the room in a paranoid manner. Nathaniel sighed, knowing that she was probably right, but they would never find Richard if they focused on that.

"Forget it, Anita, it doesn't matter right now. So you said that you told Richard to go help someone last night, and he storms out in a huff, but his car never leaves the driveway."

"Yep." Nathaniel sighed and bent forward. Anita stroked his braid sympathetically.

"This place gets more fucked up every day, and our pard is usually involved in some way. Did you know that?" Anita felt herself nod automatically.

"Yep."

!Scene Break!

Duo couldn't stop his body from swaying to the beat of Incubus's "When It Comes", he was too anxious. In half an hour he would be on a first class flight from Bombay, to Los Angeles, to St. Louis, all paid for by OZ, preferred terrorists of the space colonies. He would force himself to forget—

_(DON'T FORGET MEMORIES KEEP YOU STRONG KEEP YOU SHARP KEEP YOU _ALIVE_ Don't forget)_

— the bad things, if he could. But somewhere, some subconscious part of him, knew that something out there would remind him of those damned traitors. Colors, scents, words, something would keep them alive, and fresh, and horrendously real in his memory. He wondered if Anita Blake knew a hypnotist.

And he knew he had fucked up when Richard answered him.

"No, but she knows a hell of a lot of therapists," was the absent reply. Both men froze as reality sank in; Duo had actually said the part about Anita Blake out loud.

Duo spotted the parking lot for Bombay's International Airport, and turned into it with a curse. He was receiving a lobotomy from the force of Richard's gaze, and dammit, he liked his brain! He turned the car off and sighed. Looked like it was time to pay the piper.

"I found out really early on in life that I was able to see, hear, and talk to the dead," he said quietly after a pregnant silence. "Seeing as I was raised on the streets, I was too poor to learn how to hone my skills, and when someone finally took me in, they told me that the things I could do were evil and wrong. So I ignored it, and dealt with the ghosts and walking dead animals following me. When I was ten, I learned that I could use the force of my will to lay them to rest, or drive them away at least.

"I am, was, a Gundam pilot, one of the so-called terrorists that fights for peace, justice, and the downfall of OZ. About two and a half years ago, I had a mission in the US, and I heard all sorts of wild rumors. Rumors about a woman who had more legal vamp killings on her list than anyone, about a woman who could raise an entire graveyard without a human sacrifice. Rumors about a woman called Anita Blake.

"I did follow-up research on her, learned that the rumors were true. I told my fellow pilots about this, and they laughed at me, told me that the internet was highly unreliable. I pretended to listen to them, but I knew this stuff was real, had seen these things happen.

"I worked in a group of five. 01 and 05 never liked me, and they made it clear to me that I was just a nuisance, that I wasn't important, the mission was. I thought for awhile that they could have changed. 03 and 04 were okay, up until now. They had led me to believe that we were friends, but 05 and 01 lied to them about me.

"These last three weeks of my life have been pure hell. I've been punched, kicked, stabbed, insulted, and demeaned many times in my life, but never by people that I cared about. I've never had sex, never been raped, until these last three weeks. I have been treated like a hooker, whose pimps have made it crystal-clear that they can, and probably will, kill him.

"My sister, and the thought of finding Anita Blake, have been the things that let me keep hold of my shredded sanity. I accidentally bought two first class tickets, through an account that is totally not mine, for Relena and I. It didn't occur to me at the time that she wouldn't be able to go with me, but I know now. Relena is the one thing in the world that 01 cares about. He would track her down, and through her, me.

"So yes, I am afraid, but I think I have a right to be. What's your story?" Richard frowned at the young man.

"I was dating Anita Blake. So whose account did you use?"

"Someone from OZ. Don't worry, he's pretty rich, he hasn't noticed yet. You really dated Anita Blake? What's she like?"

"She's short, sarcastic, and she get's a little trigger-happy when she's PMSing. You've done that before?"

"There were times that I had to, just to survive, and to keep my Gundam in top order. I chose this one guy, a couple of years back, and stuck with him. Dude puts in two hundred thou every month, so I'd take a quarter. I found out on my last mission that he pimped out prisoners to other OZ officers, as a form of torture."

"Well then. Kudos to you. When's the flight?" Richard inquired. He blinked rapidly to digest the onslaught of information that he had just received. Duo looked at his watch.

"An hour. C'mon. Let's get out of here." Richard nodded his assent. They left the car simultaneously, with Duo grabbing the bag from the back seat, and Richard retrieving the bag from the glove compartment. They walked toward the building ahead of them, neither one looking back once.

MISSION 04 STATUS: COMPLETE

Kali- We realize that it really doesn't make sense, what with Duo going into the airport looking all fucked up, but let's pretend that Duo started wearing foundation and other makeups to cover any facial wounds, alright?

SS- It is really late over here, and I am so sorry for the long update!

Athena- It's because she's been focusing on schoolwork. It's a good thing that the girl is smart enough to know that she can't pull off straight As, but she does have two As, three Bs, and one C.

Duo- It's also because she was working on the Naruto story, Dancing In The Dusk. It's pretty good, actually. You guys should go read it.

Kali- We have a request that needs to be fulfilled! Our good friends,** leemax **and** Tatsu Satsuki**, wants to know about the pain and misery that we've made our antagonists endure.

SS- This little skit takes place in Heero's POV, three years after chapters 2-4. And, oh baby, I have made this bastard suffer. :grins maliciously:

MISSION 04B SPECS: MERCILESS

We heard that he died, four years ago, today. I've read the reports, watched the videos, and seen the photographs, a million times, a billion times. Why, you ask? Partially as a form of penance, so that I never forget him, that wild-eyed, young, braided boy. As if I ever could. As if any of us would ever be able to forget him.

Duo Peacecraft, alias Duo Maxwell.

Some part of me doesn't accept his death, and maybe, it never will. I punish myself with those endless thoughts of 'maybe'.

Maybe he survived. Maybe he didn't trust us enough to come back to us. Maybe he stopped believing in us. Maybe he found someone, someone who cared for him, respected him, made him feel like he was important.

Someone who treats him the way we never did.

Relena had told us that she was glad he had died, since it got him away from us. We had acted confused, like we didn't know what she had meant. She told us to shut up, because she had seen what we had done to her brother. That shut us up.

She told us of how elated he had been to find out that he had real family, blood family. She told us of his past; how he had been a thief and street rat on L2, how he had been at the destruction of the Maxwell Church, even about the man called Howard.

Then she told us of how he hadn't cried to her once during those three weeks. She had seen the bruises and scars, and she had, but he wouldn't, couldn't, let us have the satisfaction of breaking him.

"_You called him a whore. You, disgusting, filthy people, who beat and raped him, had the gall, the unmitigated and astounding gall, to call **him** a whore? I have something worse to call you: OZ worthy rapists and torturers. You disgust me!"_

She had slapped us all, saying that if we ever came near her again, she would have us arrested. I couldn't even begin to try and justify our deeds. Hearing those words, hearing that dirty ugly truth had broken us down. Duo hadn't been anything like the bastards at OZ. We had.

Today is the night of the full moon. I can feel the power inside me, the beast, waiting to be released. Wufei and I are both werewolves. He is black with golden eyes, and I am white with blue eyes. We are monsters, yet not monsters. Our beasts are pure, not us. Not as humans.

I'll run tonight, if only to help me forget my dream. It's the same dream, every night, and every night, I wake up crying.

Wufei and I are walking down a hall when we stop before a door. We can hear laughter behind it, so I open it and we go in. And we see him.

He's talking with a woman, a short, buxom woman who smiles easily with him. He looks away from her, and he sees us. The terror that fills his eyes pains me, and I know, I just know, that Wufei doesn't recognize him, but I do. I can see the woman glaring at us, and I know that he trusts her with not only his life, but his heart as well.

"Duo?" I can't help but whisper incredulously, and that is when I wake up.

It hurts.

It hurts to think that somewhere out there, Duo might have placed his faith in someone else. And it hurts to think that Duo is alive, and well, and afraid of me. But do you know what hurts the most?

That Duo might be out there, alive, and not know what I feel for him. That I _do_ love him, I _do_ cherish him, that I am sorry for everything I have ever done to him.

That he could be happy because he hasn't seen me...the merciless Perfect Soldier.

The object of his nightmares.

MISSION 04B STATUS: COMPLETE

SS- :sweatdrops: I can't believe that I'm still cognizant at 2 in the morning. Or that I wrote that. O.O

Kali- Please read and review, people. I'm gonna take her to the back room to, ah, sleep it off.

Duo- Translation: she plans on molesting SS while the author can't fight.

Athena and Duo- Bai-bai-buu!

_Shinigami's Sister_


	5. Freaks Galore Bonus Salting the Wound

MISSION SPECS 05B: SALTING THE WOUND

Trowa tells me daily that I am the purest person he's met, but we know the truth. I see the guilt that haunts my eyes mirrored in his own. I feel his pain as deeply as I feel all of our pain, as deeply as I felt his fear of us. I ignored that fear...no. I used that fear, for the most demented reason in the world.

Because I enjoyed it.

And all because my paranoid delusions had me believing that one of my closest friends had stolen from me. A simple gold chain, worth much in cash, and more in memories, had set me off. A simple gold chain that I hadn't even noticed to be missing.

Allah forgive me, for I am a wicked person.

Every day I say this, for the deeds I have committed are too heinous to be real. I have carved passages of the Koran into the flesh of a man, then laughed at his pain as I peeled that flesh away. I have shoved salt into these hideous designs for no reason, except the excuse of justice.

Allah might have forgiven me for the things I did to the OZ soldiers. He might have forgiven me for the number of people I killed in the name of peace. He might have even forgiven me for taking a man as my lover. But he will never forgive me for the things that I have forced upon Duo.

Every night, I dream of that night we met with Relena. I see myself reacting to the hate that filled her heart.

"_You are absolutely disgusting, all of you! He never did anything to you but try to be your friend, and how do you repay him? You torture him! You torture the only one among you worthy of being called brave, worthy of fighting for our cause._

"_And you, Quatre. He told me about how you came on him while he bled. Of how you ground salt into his back and laughed. I used to admire you, Quatre, you and your 'purity'._

"_You can only be considered tainted now, demonic. Inhuman."_

Every night, I wake up with tears coursing down my face.

In the day, I go about as normal, as the CEO of Winner Enterprises Inc. should go about his business. I smile at the office parties, I mingle. I talk to Relena when she deems it necessary, but even if she smiles, her eyes remain cold. She hates me, hates us all.

She's right, I am tainted. I wonder sometimes if the fact that he had been Relena's brother would have made a difference. I wonder if we would have even believed him. We were so horrible to him, I'm amazed that he never tried leaving. (SS- Little do they know... dumbasses)

We all feel guilty. Wufei and Heero have this guant, haggard look about them, and I know that neither of them have been sleeping regularly. They both have a shrine of sorts to Duo. I used to think it was so they'd never forget him, but now I wonder if they keep it out of hope that he could be alive. It's always been a possibility, just not one that we ever expected. Those bombs demolished everything, took a good chunk out of that OZ building too.

But...

If Duo is truly alive... I pray that I will have a chance to see him again. If he never forgives me, fine. If he wished to do everything to me that I did to him, I'd let him. Knowing that he's alive would be worth it. As it stands, he is dead to my knowledge. Hopefully, Shinigami is somewhere better. Hopefully, his shade doesn't wander this world full of torment. Hopefully, he's at peace, be he dead or alive.

I don't think my mind would be able to handle it if he weren't.

END MISSION SPECS 05B

SS- Alright people, you wanted to know what they thought, so you got it; Quatre tells his sad little story, and now it's time for the real chapter to start.

Kali- If you were just interested in hearing about what the other pilots have to say, well, sorry.

MISSION SPECS 05: PERVERTS AND FREAKS GALORE

Duo stared really hard at the zombie in front of him; he cocked his head to one side, then to the other. Anita just scowled at the clients.

"We just raised a woman for no reason, is that what you're saying?" she demanded to know. Duo turned around to glare at the nerdy little man with the huge bodyguards. The little man, whose name was Ronald Quentin, just rubbed his glasses and smiled strangely up at Duo.

"Oh, no no no," Quentin protested, "I needed proof that a lycanthrope could actually be an animator, and one that's as powerful Anita Blake at that! Why, just look at this girl; with the exception of the bullet wound, she could be truly alive. It's remarkable!"

Duo edged towards Anita. "Uh...thanks man," he said with a jerk of his head towards the slightly shorter man. Did the man not know that staring was rude?

Quentin seemed to not notice Duo's actions and seized the were-leopard's hands in his own. "Now that I know what you can do, I simply _must_ have you!" he exclaimed with a fervently adoring look in his eyes. "I'm something of a collector, you see, and you would be—"

"No." came the curt reply, not from Duo, but from Anita. She glared at Quentin, and pulled Duo behind her. This man was pushing all her buttons, and he wanted to collect her son! Not over her goddamn body!

"Oh, but Ms. Blake, surely this...extraordinary young man can make his own decisions, hmm?" the pervert tittered with a leer. His nervous laughter was cut short at the hostile glare thrown towards him.

"Sure he can, but as his mother, I say no way in hell. We're leaving now. If you or your goons follow us, you will all be singing falsetto for the rest of your lives." The goons backed off with wide eyes, because yeah, she looked that serious. Anita whirled around and stalked off, pushing Duo ahead of her. She continued to fume the entire ride back to their house, slamming doors and muttering about little perverts when she went to give Nathaniel his hello kiss.

Nathaniel arched a delicate eyebrow at Duo. "What gave her an early case of PMS?" he asked.

"Some..really freaky client told us that he wanted me to be part of his collections," he sighed with a shrug. He moved into the warmth that was Nathaniel, dropping his head so that it could rest on the older man's shoulder. Nathaniel smelled like vanilla and coconuts, like some sort of exotic dessert. More importantly, he smelled like home.

Nathaniel maneuvered them so that they could lie on the couch facing each other. They smiled at one another, Nathaniel chuckling softly when Duo yawned sleepily. "Go ahead and sleep, Duo-kitty. I'm watching you," he said softly. Duo smiled, placed a light kiss on Nathaniel's neck, closed his eyes and slept.

He woke up later, when he noticed that two powerful auras had entered the house, one of which was standing over him. He opened his eyes; Nathaniel had left, was talking animatedly to someone in the kitchen. Turning his head, Duo found that Asher was the one standing over him, smiling gently down at him. For some reason, the blond vampire wanted to protect him. It was a strange thing, but Duo didn't question it often.

"Hey there," he greeted the Master Vampire with a small yawn. "When did you and Jean-Claude get here— I'm assuming that he's with you and that I'm not imagining that powerful aura in the kitchen." He stretched, cat-like, before sitting up to regard Asher with sleepy eyes. He reached a hand up, and was pulled into a warm embrace; the vampire had fed before showing up.

"_Non, mon cher,_ it is my Richard you sense." The pale-eyed vampire looked fondly towards the kitchen. Duo's face crinkled in mirth as he kissed the taller man's cheek.

"You know, I'll never understand how a man, who everybody told me was straighter than a pencil, fell in love with you," he chortled, "or how you managed to convince Jean-Claude that you weren't insane!"

"Didn't you know? Vampires are quite persistent when they really want something," Richard called as he strode through the kitchen door. His eyes lit up at the sight of his lover and a smiling Duo. He tore Duo away from his lover, engulfing him in a bear hug and tickling him while growling, "That's MY lover you're feeling up!"

"AHHH! AHH! OKAY, OKAY, HE'S YOURS! NO MORE!" Duo shrieked in the midst of his laughter. Satisfied that his point had been made, he tossed the braided man to Nathaniel, then swept his lover up into a passionate kiss. Asher pretty much melted into the strong warmth of his lover's body. Richard gave the finger as a response to the catcalls from Anita and her leopards.

Nathaniel grinned at Anita and Duo. "Alright you two, gimme my money!" he crowed. The two mentioned grumbled, fishing in their pockets for a twenty. How the hell had Nathaniel known that Asher was bottom? More importantly, did they really want to know how he knew?

"I saw them at the Circus," he whispered mischievously, "and it was getting _caliente_, when I closed the door, but you didn't believe me, and I now have forty dollars! Yay me!"

"Why you!—" Nathaniel had started running, so Duo gave chase. They laughed joyously together, neither one losing or gaining any distance. Duo gave a final burst of speed as they neared the living room for the third time and tackled the older were-leopard to the floor. They twisted and turned, wrestling and snarling in jest. Anita and Asher shook their heads in mock frustration when Richard howled.

"Knock it off, Richard, you're forgetting that you still haven't told Duo the news." Anita grumbled. At the mention of his name, Duo perked up.

"_¿Que pasa?_" Duo asked. "What news, is there going to be a fight? Tell me tell me tell me!" Everyone stared at him; he rubbed his head with a nervous laugh. "Maybe too much caffeine in one sitting...?"

"How much coffee have you had so far today,_ mon cher_?" Asher asked suspiciously. Duo stared around the room at everything and nothing in particular.

"...between seventy-five and a hundred, but that's not the point! What's the news!"

"The news is, I finally understand why you're so short!" Richard snickered. Duo launched himself at the alpha with a growl as their friends laughed. This was something that happened fairly often in the Blake household. Predictably, he was caught midair and pulled into a headlock. "Okay! Okay! The news is that there are two new wolves in town, and I'm sensing some major guilt from them. They were asking about where they could find Anita."

Duo paused in his childish behavior of gnawing on Richard's muscled forearm long enough to ask why. Richard shrugged— or rather, tried to shrug without losing his hold on Duo. "They said that they wanted her to find a friend for them, or at least recommend them to a decent private investigator."

"Sounds suspicious," Duo relied sarcastically. "You can let me go now."

"Nope. You're going to try and attack me; this is preventative self-defense." Duo stopped squirming and tried to follow that logic.

"Be careful, mon chat, do not hurt that pretty head of yours," Asher snickered. Duo pouted.

"But that didn't make any sense! Anitaaaa!" They all laughed at him as he struggled in Richard's grasp, blissfully unaware as to what tomorrow would bring.

MISSION SPECS 05 STATUS: COMPLETE

SS/N- Wow, it's been a few months since I've updated, and you guys haven't killed me yet:Catches a flying shuriken and hands it off to Duo to put in the four foot high pile of weapons: Thanks for all these nifty gifts.

Kali- The subject that our dear authoress is avoiding is her habit towards writer's block when she's bogged down with work.

Athena- Quite sad really.

SS- Eh heh...Simple truth is that midterm and finals have come and gone, and I'm working on rehearsing lines and dancing for the Wizard of Oz play that my school is doing. :bows and holds up a sign up that reads 'I'M SORRY!' with a chibi author crying:

Duo-Yeah, whatever. Sure you are.

SS- Annnyhow, chapter six is being written as we speak. I won't be putting any review response up for awhile, but thanks to everyone who did...you know who you are, Tatsu-san!

And as a little incentive for all you with opinions, whose POV should go up next? Wufei or Trowa? Or should Relena get her share?

All- Read and review! Bai-bai-buu!

_Shinigami's Sister_


	6. Mission 06 Close Encounters 06B The Face

MISSION SPECS 06: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

St. Louis. Hot in summer, cold in winter, with seasons and rain instead of just sun and heat. The man who had just disembarked the plane crinkled his nose distastefully at the wavering heat lines in the air. Why anyone would want to live in this freakish place was beyond the range of his limited comprehension.

Unfortunately, the woman known as Anita Blake did live in this city, and refused to leave it out of paranoia and suspicion.

A damn smart woman, in his opinion.

The man of whom we speak is well over the six foot mark, and noticeably of Asian decent. His messy brown hair hid his blue eyes, aided by dark sunglasses. Pilot oh-one, Heero Yuy, had not believed Duo Maxwell— more appropriately, Duo Peacecraft— when the young man had spoken of necromancy and lycanthropy, of vampires and lost souls remaining tied to Earth. Heero had dismissed those tales as fanciful lies.

Duo was dead now.

Heero was a werewolf. There had to be some irony in that, but Heero was too drained to find it.

"Heero." He turned to face his companion. Chang Wufei held a similar look of contempt for the oppressive heat. The Chinese man laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The Ulfric out hear will tell us how to find Anita Blake, and we can finally know something about him. What exactly is the Ulfric's name?"

"Richard Zeeman. He's a middle school science teacher." Wufei's eyebrows receded into his hairline. There was no set law prohibiting a lycanthrope from performing a specific job, but modern prejudices and parental anxiety usually kept those who grow fur and fangs away from careers such as teaching and the medical field.

"It's possible that we won't hear what we want to hear, you know that." It was not a question that Wufei directed to Heero, but more of a gentle reprimand— a reminder not to let his hopes get to high. Heero nodded in response.

"I know," Heero muttered, "but if there's the slightest chance that he could possibly forgive us...

"I just want to know the truth."

(Scene Change)

Duo backed away from the approaching figure slowly. "Hey, look, I'm really sorry, okay? I'll make it up to you, I swear. I'm really not looking for trouble at the moment." He tried snorting back a laugh at the situation. For every step he went backwards, the figure crept menacingly forwards. "I'll...I'llllll buy you a new one!"

"A new one? A new freakin' one!" Cherry snarled, "There is no new one. This was a rare Dark Sage card, only three of these were ever printed! It would cost thousands of dollars for a new one, millions maybe!" She was almost at the point of hyperventilating.(SS- I know y'all didn't see that coming!)

Nathaniel coughed slightly. "It's only a little wet, couldn't you, I don't know, iron it or something?" She turned the full force of her glare on him, nostrils flaring furiously. "Just a suggestion!"

Cherry opened her mouth to say something, but was halted when Richard plucked the card from her fingers. He examined it closely, turning it to look at the back.

"This," he declared, "is a fake." The blonde leopard puffed up in outrage.

"What!" Cherry squawked. "That's a lie, I—"

"The kids in my class play this YuGiOh!™ game all the time, I have to confiscate the cards when they think they can get away with playing in class." Richard interrupted. "One wa you can tell if it's real or not is looking at the back. Real cards have the brand Konami™ in the top right corner. Yours," he turned the card over to point, "doesn't have the brand on it."

Cherry deflated, tears welling up in her huge brown eyes. Both Nathaniel and Duo rushed to her, cooing comforting words at her, enveloping her in their strong embrace. They glared at Richard as threateningly as possible, which, in the older male's eyes, was actually quite adorable. They petted her gently, leading her to her room. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She whispered, "it's real, it has to be real," brokenly over and over.

Damien, the red-haired vampire who had to live with all this and had been watching this spectacle in silence, turned around, and went back to his basement apartment.

Idiocy and weirdness were obviously contagious, and right now, Damien didn't want to catch either.

(Scene Break)

Was everyone crazy in this damned place?

The Ulfric of St. Louis didn't have a lupa, in standard sense. He did, however, have an extremely powerful vampire that he was boffing. An extremely powerful, male, vampire, who happened to be the second-in-command for the Master of the City. There was something wrong with that in Heero's mind, but what could it be?

Oh yes. An alpha was sleeping with a vampire. An alpha was reduced to coffin bait, and yet, the pack didn't seem to care. They seemed to, _dare he say it?_, rejoice in it. They had, apparently, seen pretty much everything out here, and since the wolves were the animal to call for the Master of the City, it didn't matter much to them anymore.

Or maybe they were all just on some really good drugs.

And they were on extremely good terms with the Nimir-Ra and Nimir-Raj of the leopards. Someone, Heero thought his name was Stephan, mentioned that the Nimir-Ra had been their lupa a few years back, but that was just crazy-talk! Everyone knew that you couldn't be a wolf AND a leopard at the same time. It was as impossible as a were being a necromancer at the same time. (Duo- What a moron.)

The meeting at the lupanar had been...different, to say the least. Wufei and Heero had arrived at the meeting suddenly, only to find that it was ending.

(Flashback)

"Fine mess you've gotten us in, Yuy," Wufei wheezed. His windpipe was currently being crushed by a black man with long cornrowed hair. They hadn't even made it fully to the meeting place before they had been accosted; Heero was being held by a_ powerful_ alpha with honey-brown hair.

"Who are you?" the black man growled. He exerted the tiniest amount of pressure, but Wufei winced anyways; the man had turned his nails into claws, as some of the more powerful alphas were able to do.

Fuck.

"Heero Yuy, and Wufei Chang," Heero breathed in response. "We request an audience with the Ulfric of the Thronnos Rokke Clan." He was promptly dropped to the ground, as was Wufei.

"You're in luck then," the brunet chuckled, "I'm Richard Zeeman, Ulfric of the Thronnos Rokke clan. This is my Skoll, Jamil." The black man nodded at them warily. "What did you need from me?"

"A friend of ours was killed a few years back," Wufei explained hesitantly, "but the body was never found. We'd heard rumor that you knew the Exterminator, and that she was a powerful necromancer..."

"So y'all want Anita to bring this kid back?" Jamil inquired. Heero shook his head vehemently.

"God no! We'd like her to recommend a clairvoyant for us, or a medium," he said hastily. "We'd just like to get in touch with him, make sure he's happy."

(End Flashback)

Richard had told them where Anita's daytime office, said to stop by around three pm. Which is where he and Wufei were waiting right now. The secretary, Mary, waved them down the hall as she finished speaking with Ms. Blake, Wufei coated in pure white, Heero in black and blue.

He felt a strange sense of deja vu at the situation, but couldn't understand why.

The two stood in front of a door reading 'Blake & Blake'. Both could hear two laughing voices inside, one male, one female, but too low to be distinctive. Heero assumed that the female voice was Anita Blake, but who could the other person be? He felt an unexpected wave of anxiety wash over him. This was it. This was the woman who could help them find Duo.

"_You'll probably back here tomorrow night when she turns you away," Richard said with a feral grin. "Or you might not be crying. I'll tell you right now, Heero Yuy and Wufei Chang, Anita will be wanting to meet you."_

Still trying to puzzle out the cryptic message, Heero nodded to his friend, a tacit acknowledgment to push the door open.

The owners of the voices were faced away from the former Gundam pilots, so the first thing they actually saw was the braid. A thick chestnut rope coiled like a sleeping serpent upon the desk. Heero knew that braid. Had seen it every night in his dreams for the last five years. That braid was supposed to be dead. He could see the shock on Wufei's as well.

So surprised were they to see that braid, that Heero blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, just to be sure that this was real, that this was not some elaborately planned hell designed especially for him. "What is your status oh-two?"

The braid snapped up and back as the head controlling it whipped forward to face his voice. Wide eyes filled with terror became impossibly wider at the sight before him. Oh God, those eyes...

Violet eyes...

Duo's eyes.

"Duo!" Wufei choked out hoarsely, joyously. Duo was alive, dear Gods, Duo was alive! They both took a few steps forward, and Heero knew immediately that that had been a mistake.

A thin keening wail began as Duo scrabbled away from the ghosts of his past, his old tormentors. His eyes were wild as he searched for all possible escape routes. The woman— Heero was now certain that this was Anita Blake— caught Duo in a strong embrace, whispering soft, calming words of comfort at him while she leveled a gun at the former pilots before her.

"I think," she said, her voice slow with a simmering fury, "that you boys need to go back to the reception area and wait for my son and I to calm down, because I will kill you if you don't. These are silver bullets, and I never miss.

"Ever."

MISSION SPECS 06 STATUS: COMPLETE

SS- I'm sorry, I just finished editing. I am betaless, because I don't know quite what a beta does, but it should still be clear.

MISSION SPECS 06B: THE FACE

It's too much sometimes.

Looking at Quatre in the mirror and seeing a face that isn't his. A face that is constantly bruised and scarred, each wound as dark as his violet eyes. Eyes dark with fear and sorrow, but not hatred. Never hatred.

Those who are truly innocent don't understand hate. They know anger, vengeance, the need for whatever caused their anger and loss to be destroyed; hate is simply beyond their comprehension. They don't know the heady rush of power that follows, the enjoyment of causing pain.

Once upon a time, Quatre and I were innocent.

Once upon a time, a boy named Duo Maxwell was tortured, beaten, raped, and sneered at. It never occurred to me that he could have ben the one telling the truth. I only knew that Heero said that he made Quatre cry. I chose to believe that Duo, sweet, smiling, forever laughing Duo, was laughing because of the pain he'd inflicted on Quatre. I couldn't bear it, I hated it, hated him.

I made sure it would always hurt when he smiled. I carved his face, as if I were a master painter and the knife was my brush, so that Duo would always smile, a grim mockery of his smile.

I never actually raped Duo; I just came on his back. Whenever Quatre had finished rubbing salt into his scriptures, we would jack each other off, laughing at the sight of his flaming blood mixed with our essence. It's not that fine of a distinction from rape. I only say that so I can continue to sleep.

Not that I'm sleeping well in any case. The memories under the guise of nightmares make sure of that.

Relena hates us. In fact, anyone who had ties to us during the wars wishes that we had been the ones to die at OZ. Even the good doctors now have reason to despise us, their favored pets.

"_What kind of sick freaks are you, that you get your jollies off of someone else's pain. Aren't you supposed to be the good guys! Last I checked, good guys don't go around torturing people for no reason! Absolutely disgusting! Did you even think to listen to him?"_

That had been Hilde, after Relena had delivered her the news. To be completely honest, we had listened to him. Scream, shout, curse, explain. We just ignored it.

After all, who would you believe? Duo, who supposedly never lies, but has in truth been lying about everything? Or Heero, the Perfect Soldier, who has no other objective but to accomplish the mission and protect Relena.

If it had surprised us to learn that Zechs and Relena were related, imagine the shock when she told us, including Zechs, that Duo was also her brother. Of course, the ever perfect Zechs wasn't that surprised, oh no; he just mentioned in passing how well we would have done in the OZ ranks. He hadn't meant it as a compliment, nor did we take it as such. In fact, Wufei had tried to punch him before the Vice-Minister threw us out.

If there are any gods out there, they hate us too. To destroy such a perfectly innocent boy like Duo has to be a most heinous offense to them. But haven't we been punished long enough? Quatre cries himself to sleep, commonly to wake up screaming. I know for a fact that on separate occasions, both Heero and Wufei have tried to kill themselves. The only reason why they're actually still alive is because instead of getting eaten, a random lycanthrope infected them with the disease. Both of them transform at will into wolves.

And I? I, who am haunted by his frail frame and broken limbs? I, who look at Quatre while we make love with guilt as I remember that we killed the spirit of a man, and laughed at the time? I, who see night after night, the pain and horror in Catherine's eyes when she realized that yes, I did everything Relena said I had done? Have we been punished enough? Have _I_ been punished enough?

No. Despite what we tell ourselves now, we were, and continue to be, guilty parties.

Once upon a time, Duo Maxwell took a suicidal mission to escape from us.

He succeeded.

MISSION SPECS 06B STATUS: COMPLETE

SS- Okay, I know y'all wanted Wufei to go first, but won't his pain be worth it? I mean, look at what I've done to Trowa, I made him slightly eloquent.

Kali- Holy crap. That's more than Trowa's ever said in a lifetime!

Athena- Seriously, curb your excitement.

SS- In regards to some comments that need to be commented on, we believe Duo over Heero any given day. None of the G-boys had a real reason for hating Duo, but Wufei and Heero are the ones who need to take most of the blame. They did what they did for no reason, but they lied to Quatre and Trowa because it's easier to take someone down four against one.

Review Responses! (Woot!)

Akane The Fox- Thank you, glad you enjoyed.

Miss Macabre- Thank you!

Niharana- Thanks very much!

Inwitari- Thanks a lot! .

ShadoweGoddess- Alrighty...thank you!

The wolf fox hybrid- Sarcasm has no real effect on me. Thank you very much!

Duo- And I'd love to have a new flamethrower. Shini broke my old one.

Yaeko- sorry to disappoint you, but I hope you enjoyed Trowa's POV

Tatsu Satsuki- So glad to hear you liked it! Did I make them bastard-y enough for you. I hate torturing Duo like this, but something similar to revenge will be had soon enough. Thank you for your kindness Tatsu-san!

SS- whoo! Chapter six is done, look out for the next one! Wufei is on the chopping block!

All- Read and Review! Bai-bai-buu!

_Shinigami's Sister_


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